Monroe County Council member Trent Deckard is running for reelection as an at-large council member.
There are three at-large seats on the council, all of which are up for election this year.
Deckard, a Democrat, has served on the council since 2019.
Deckard cited a lack of access to affordable housing, childcare and food as issues for the county address.
"We can do more to ensure this is an even better place to live, work, study, worship, and play," Deckard wrote in an email to WFIU/WTIU News. "We have brilliant minds in this community and a plethora of good ideas. I believe that I am precisely the type of collaborator to help us with the kind of dialogue necessary to move forward and get good work done."
Deckard's campaign website lists the following as efforts he has pursued during his time on the council:
- Maintaining a positive and collaborative approach to working with other government units
- Increasing compensation and balance for county employees
- Ensuring fiscally responsible, responsive to need and sustainable county budgets
- Strengthening workforce development and economic opportunities for all
Deckard said he has also focused on protecting Lake Monroe, supporting access to affordable housing, empowering boards and commissions and reforming the local criminal justice system.
Deckard has served as the Monroe County Democratic Party chair, chief of staff of the Indiana House Democratic Caucus and co-director of the Indiana Election Division.
He said those experiences inform his approach to local governance.
"I am running for county council at-large because I think our community still needs problem solvers and doers with a positive and collaborative work ethic," Deckard wrote. "I still believe that elected officials can and should work together alongside residents. When they do, they can do great things for their community. These great things, when carried out in that collaborative spirit, are the best way to serve and honor those we represent."
Deckard is a member of the Bloomington Rotary Club, the resource development director and vanguard chair of the United Way of Monroe County and the finance chair and board member of Stepping Stones, a program of Centerstone.
Deckard’s fellow at-large representatives include Cheryl Munson and Geoff McKim. Munson has not filed for reelection yet but said she plans to. McKim will not.
